couffinhal



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 G. J. P. GOUPFINHAL.

MACHINE FOR AGGLOMERATING GOAL AND OTHER MATERIALS.

No. 323,856; Patented Aug. 4, 1885.

n PETERS holo-blhognpher. Washington, ac,

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. J. P. OOUFFINHAL.

MACHINE FOR AGGLOMERATING GOAL AND OTHER MATERIALS.

No. 323,856. Patented Aug. 4, 1885.

N Prmzs, Photn-Lilhugnphen Wahinglnn m.

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G. J. P. GOUFPINHAL. MAGHINE FOR AGGLOMERATING GOAL AND OTHER MATERIALS.

No. 323,856. Patented Au 4, 1885.

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N. PETERS, Phnmumo m her. wmin m. 0.0.

4 Sheets-Sheet '4.

(No Model.)

G. J. P. OOUFFINHAL. MAGHINE FOR AGGLOMERATING COAL AND OTHER MATERIALS. No. 323,856.

Patented Aug. 4, 1885.

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UN TE STATES PATENT Erica GUSTAVE J. 1 COUFFINHAL, OF ST. ETIENNE, FRANCE.

MACHINE FOR AGGLOMERATING COAL AND OTHER MATERIALS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 323,856, dated August 4, 1885.

Application filed February 12, 1885. (No model.) Patented in France March 1, 1880, No. 135,516.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GUSTAVE JEAN PAUL OOUFFINHAL, a citizen of the Republic of France, residing at St. Etienne, France, civil engineer, have invented a new and useful Machine for Agglomeratin g Coal and Other Materials, (patented in France, No. 135,516, bearing date March 1, 1880,) of which the followin g is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for agglomerating coal and other materials or molding and pressing bricks or blocks from the same, in which a rotating mold-wheel and reciprocating pressing anql extracting plungers are employed and its principal objects are, to provide means whereby the plunger-s are actuated to press and eject the articles; means for rotating and holding the mold-wheel in proper position to be filled and the articles to be subjected to the pressing and ejecting ac tion of the plungers means for automatically relieving the pressin g-plungers when the maximum or desired pressure has been attained, and means for perforating the articles to be molded in advance of or before the pressingplungers are actuated to perform their pressing operations.

I accomplish the above and other desirable objects and purposes by the machine which I have devised, whereby a strong and simple structure is obtained, which will enable great pressure to be exerted upon the articles to be molded, and whichwill be efficient in operation and not liable to get out of working order or be broken under the heavy strains to which it is subjected.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more particularly described and claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved machine; Fig. 2, a plan view thereof; Fig. 3, a front elevation Fig an section on the line .r of Fig. 1; Figs. 5 and 6, detail sectional views of the plungers and connections; Fig. 7, a section on the line A B of Fig. 6.

1n the said drawings the relerencenumeral 1 indicates the frame of the machine, which is sufficiently strong and rigid to support the working parts and withstand the strains to which it is subjected.

- sliding upon a rod or bolt, y, fixed to the main A is the main driving-shaft, having its bearings in the main frame and receiving motion from any suitable motive power, and is provided with a pinion, B, by which motion is transmitted to the working parts of the machine through the medium of the cog-wheels O G, keyed upon shafts D D, mounted in the main frame. The opposite ends of these shafts are provided with crank-disks E E, carrying pitmen F F, which are pivoted to the crosshead H, by which the cross-beams I l and the attached upper pressingplunger and the ejecting-plunger are operated. These beams 1 I are pivoted to cheek-pieces M M, which carry a fluid-cylinder, T, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. To the lower extremities of the cheek-pieces are pivoted the beams L L, carrying the lower pressing-plunger, N, so that as the cheek-pieces are raised or depressed by the beams I I the beams L L will be correspondingly depressed or elevated and the lower pressing-plunger be thrown into and out of action. At the opposite ends the beams L L are secured to the main frame 1 by a short link-connection, 2, so as to allow of a slight play'by said beams in a horizontal direction.

Y is a coiled spring embracing a sleeve, y,

frame of the machine, and is provided at its upper end with a nut and washer for confining and holding it in place. At its lower end the spring acts upon a cross-bar, g connecting the beams L L together, and the object of 8 the spring is to aid in restoring the beams to their normal positions after the articles have been pressed or molded.

J and K are respectively the pressing an 'l ejecting plungers, pivoted to the beams I 1, by pivot bars or bolts 0 c and c, and are guided in their movements by the central block secured to the main frame. The lower portion of this guide-piece is of annular or circular shape, and serves as the axis of the rotating mold-wheel. The axes or pivots c 0, connecting the plunger J to the beams I I, do not extend entirely through the plunger, theirinner ends being pivoted in slides l l, which playiu grooves l l in the plunger, for the purpose presently to be described. The outer ends of the pivots are provided with two rods, b 1), connecting with a cross-beam, cl, carrying a series of perforating-punches, gg, which pass through v the piston J into corresponding perforations in the lower plunger, for the purpose of perforating the article to be pressed. The punches are securely fixed to the cross-beam d by screwnuts fitted on their ends, as seen in Fig. 6.

The operation of the punches is as follows: On their upstroke the beams I I will carry with them the pivots c c, connecting-rods Z), cross'head d, and punches g g, until the slides Z l reachthe upper extremities of the grooves Z Z, when the plunger J will be raised until the erank'disks E E have passed their deadpoints and the downstroke commences. As the beams I I descend, the pivots 0 c are carried down and the punches g 9 caused to descend by the connecting-bars and cross-beam, and perforate the articles in the mold. hen the slides l I reach the bottom of the grooves Z Z, they will press down the plunger, which is caused to act upon and compress the block in the mold. It will thus be seen that the punches have a movement in. advance of the plunger, and any twisting of the same avoided, and, entering the block or material in the mold before the pressure is applied, the power required to perforate the same will not be so great as it they moved in unison with the plunger. The pivots c 0 also act as a fulcrum for the beams I I to rock or oscillate upon, so as to actuate the cheek-pieces and bring the lower beams and plunger into operation.

Q is the rotating mold-wheel, provided with a series of molds, as is ordinary in this class of machines, and rotates upon the lower extremity of the central piece or block, X. Underneath this mold-wheel is a stationary plate or disk having apertures opposite to or in line with the pressing and ejectingplungers for the purpose of allowing the lower plunger to enter the mold and the ejecting plunger to force the completed article from the mold on its downward stroke, the article falling upon an apron or other receiver, U.

S S are cams or rollers depending from the under side of the rotating mold-wheel,by which the said wheel is rotated by the cams engagin g in a cam groove or grooves, S, of peculiar shape, in the drum R, mounted upon and revolving with the shaft D. I prefer to have these cams consist of short rollers or disks carried by bolts secured to the moldwvheel.

The drum It may be provided with a single groove S or aseries of grooves. In the drawings I have shown a single groove constituting, as it were, a worm-wheel, in which the rollers S S travel. This groove, as will be seen, has alternate straight and curved faces, the straight and curved portions lying, respectively, in the same planes. As the drum revolves, the rollers S S successively engage with the grooves S, and the mold-wheel is thereby rotated to bring the molds successively into proper positions for the action of the pressing and ejecting plungers.

The object of making the grooves with the straight and curved faces is, that when the cams or rollers engage with the straight faces of the grooves they will not move, but be held stationary, and the mold-wheel consequently be prevented from rotating, and thus allow the plungers to enter theinold and perform their work. By the time the plungers have completed their action and been withdrawn from the molds the cams will have come into action with the curved faces ofthe grooves, and the mold-wheel be rotated to bring another mold into position for the operation of the plungers.

From the above it will be seen that an intermittent rotary motion is given to the moldwheel for successively bringing the molds into position for the plungers to act, and be held stationary until the pressing operation is completed and the plungers withdrawn.

It is obvious that owing to the varying degrees of compressibility of the material to be molded and compressed a greater strain than is consistent with safety might be brought upon the working parts, if some provision were not made for relieving the pressure when the maximum or desired limit has been attained. I provide for this contingency in the manner as follows Upon the upper extremities of the cheek-pieces M M is mounted a hydraulic cylinder, T, secured to said checkpieces by a bolt and nuts, so as to move therewith. This cylinder is divided into two chambers by a diaphragm orpartitiou, T, and in the lower chamber, whichis to be filled with water or otherfluid, works a piston, 19, mounted upon the pivot-bar O of the beams I I. The pivotbar 0 works in rests a a in the check-pieces, so as to have an up-and-down play.

at and a are two spring-seated valves in the partition T, and are constructed to open and close in opposite direetionsthat is, the one, 122, opens above the partition to allow of the entrance of the fluid from the lower to the upper chamber, while the other, it, opens below the partition, and allows the fluid to flow back to the lower chamber when the valve at has been closed and the piston 10 is on its downstroke. The spring upon valve m is adjusted or regulated so that its resistance or tension will be overcome when the maximum or desired pressure has been applied to the articles in the mold. hen this limit has been reached, the piston 1) will, by the beams I 1, rocking 011 the pivots c c as a fulcrum, be forced upward through the medium of the bar 0, working in the slots at a, the valve at will be raised from its seat, allowing the water to enter the upper chamber of the cylinder, and the pressure upon the beams I I and plunger J be thereby relieved. Upon the downstroke of the piston 11 the valve a will be opened and the water allowed to flow back into the lower chamber (the valve at having in the meanwhile closed) until said lower chamber is filled, when the spring or valve n will close the same, and the device be ready for another operation. The spring Y aids in withdrawing the lower plunger from the mold and in restoring the beams L L to their normal posiwheel.

tions. As the beams-I I descend, they carry with them the ejecting-plunger K,-which forces from the mold the pressed or completed article.

X is a mixing-cylinder mounted upon the uprights e 6, having a central rotating shaft which receives motion from a gear-wheel meshing with a pinion on the shaft A. The material to be pressed is fed from this mixingcylinder to a distributer, V, placed underneath the same and over the rotating mold- The distributer has an aperture in its bottom, as seen in Fig. 2, by which the material is fed to the molds in the mold-wheel by means of blades V, mounted upon a central shaft, receiving motion by means of gearwheels W W from the shaft of the mixingcylinder.

If desired, the pressingfaces of the plungers J and N may be provided with ribs or ridges which will indent the molded brick or other article in a suitable manner, so as to allow the same to be broken with facility.

The operation of the machine is as follows: The main driving-shaft being set in operation by any suitable motive power, a pinion thereon (not shown) will rotate the shaft of the mixer by the gear-wheel G, and the material therein will be fed to the distributer V and be distributed by the blades V to the molds in the mold-wheel beneath through an aperture in the bottom. The drum 1% is rotated by the gears and pinions U, U, and B, when the curved faces of the cam-grooves S will engage with the cams or rollers S S on the mold-wheel and cause the said wheel to be rotated to bring one of the mold-openings into position for action by the pressing plungers. "At this moment, or when the plungers begin to operate, the cams or rollers will have passed out of engagement with the curved faces of the groove and beheld in the straight faces thereof, where they will remain stationary until the plungers have completed their operation, when they will again engage with the curved faces, and the mold-wheel be again rotated for the presentation of a new mold-opening to the plungers. When the mold-wheel is in posit-ion for the plungers to operate, the beams I I will be forced or carried down by the connecting-rods F F on the crank-disks-E E of the shafts D D, and the plunger J forced into the mold and the material therein be compressed between the plungers J and N. As the beams continue their downward motion, the pressure will be increased and the pivots 0 0 will act as a fulcrum for the beams to rock or oscillate upon. The opposite ends of the beams will then be elevated until the pivot-bar'O reaches the ends of the slots a a in the cheek-pieces M M, when said cheek-pieces will be raised, carrying the lower beams, L L, which are pivoted thereto, and causing the plunger N to be forced into the lower p )rtion of the mold. The reaction will then be on the beams LL and plunger N, causing the pressure to be equalized upon both sides of the article being comforce the article previouslymolded out of the mold onto the receiver U. When the beams I I are actuated to withdraw the pressing-plunger the spring Y will aid in forcing down the cheek-pieces. by depressing the beams L L, to which they are attached. The punches g 9 will be carried down by the beams I I, in advance of the plungerJ to perforate the article in the mold by the connecting-rods and cross-beams, the plunger not commencing its pressing action until the slides ll, working on the pivots c 0, have reached the lower ends of grooves l l in said plunger, as before explained. When the maximum pressure of the plungers' J and N, consistent with safety, has been reached, it is obvious that if the cranks E E, connecting with the beams I I by the rods F F, have not reached their dead-points any further action on their part would be at-' tended with great danger of breakage of the working parts of the machine. Therefore, when this maximum limit has been reached,

or when as great a pressure as is desired has p, the pressure of the water in the two chain hers will be equalized, and the valve m will close. In continuing its descent the suction of the piston will open valve n, and allow the water in the upper chamber to flow back into the lower chamber, when valvea will resume its normal position.

From the above it will be seen that the pressure is automatically relieved when the desired or maximum limit is reached, such limit being coincident with the resistance orj tension of the spring'on the valve m.

Myinvention is designed, principally, to.

press ormold blocks or bricks from coal-dust; but it is obvious that it will press analogous articles with equal facility.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a pressing and molding machine, the

combination, with a mold and upper and lower beams yoked together and provided with pivoted pressing-plungers, the pivot of one plunger serving as a fulcrum for its beams to oscillate upon, of a spring carried by the lower beams to aid in restoring them to their normal positions, substantially as described.

3. In a pressing and molding machine, the combination, with a mold and upper beams carrying a pivoted plunger, the pivot thereof serving as a fulcrum for said beams to oscillate upon, of lower beams carryinga pressingplunger, cheek-pieces connectin g the two sets of beams together, and pivoted links securing said lower beams to the main frame, so as to allow said beams to have a horizontal play, substantially as described.

4- In a pressing and molding machine, the combination, with a mold and upper and lower beams carrying pivoted pressing'plungers and yoked together by cheek-pieces, of an ejecting-plunger pivoted to and cariied by said upper beams, substantially as described.

5. In a pressing and molding machine, the combination, with a mold and upper and lower beams having ejecting and pressing plungers pivoted thereto, of the springY, sleeve 3 embracing a rod fixed to the main frame of the machine, and the cros s-bar p sliding on said rod and connected with the lower beams, substantially as described.

6. In a pressing and molding machin the combination, with a mold and upper and lower beams having pivoted pressingplungers, of the cheek-pieces connecting the upper and lower beams together, having slots therein, as described, a pivot-bar to the upper beams working in said slots, and a piston pivoted on said bar, and means for automatically releasing the pistoa when the desired or maximum pressure has been attained, substantially as described.

7. In a pressing and molding machine, the combination, with a mold and upper and lower beams earryingpivoted plungers, of the cheekpieces connecting said beams, slotted to receive apivot-bar of the upper beams, a piston pivoted to said bar, a hydraulic cylinder mounted upon the cht ek pieces, within which the pist in Works, and means, substantially as described, for retaining the fluid in the cylinder and automatically releasing it when the desired or maximum pressure is attained, substantially as specified.

8. In a pressing and molding machine, the combination, with the upper and lower beams carrying the pivoted plungers, and cheekpieces yoking the beams together, of the piston p, mounted on the pivotbar 0, working in slots a a of the cheek-pieces, the cylinder '1, divided into two parts by the partition T, and the spring-seated valve m, working the upper chamber to release the fluid in the lower chamber when the desired or maximum pressure has been attained, substantially as described.

9. The combination, with the upper and lower beams carrying the pivoted plungers, the slotted cheek-pieces connecting the beams together, and pivot-bar 0, working in slots (0 a, oi" the piston 7), cylinder '1, partition T, and the springseated valves m and it, working oppositely to each other, substantially as described.

10. The combination, with the upper and lower beams, yoked together as described, and carrying pivoted pressing-plungers, of the punches extending through the upper plunger and working in advance thereof, substantially as described.

11. The combination, with the upprr and lower beams carrying the pivoted pressingplungers J N, and yoked together by checkpieces M M, of the .punches r g, extending through plunger J and secured to the crossbeam 0?, the connecting-rods I) b, and pivots c, all constructed and operating substantially as described.

12. The combination, with the upper and lower beams carrying the pivoted pressingplungers J K, and yoked together by the cheek-pieces M M, of the punches g 9, crossbeam (1, connectingbars b b, pivots c 0, slides H, and grooves Z l, substantially as described.

13. In a pressing and molding machine, the combination, with a mold-wheel having molds formed therein and provided with depending cams, of a revolving drum having a eam'groove therein for engaging with the cams on the mold-wheel to actuate the same, substantially as described.

14. The combination, with a mold-wheel having molds formed therein and provided with cams or rollers, as described, of a revolving drum having a cam groove or grooves composed of alternate straight and curved faces, substantially as specified.

15. The combination of the mold-wheel Q, cams or rollers S S, drum 1%, having camgroove S, the beams l I, L L, yoked together by cheek-pieces M M, and the pivoted plungers J K N, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

16. The combination, with the moldwheel Q, stationary plate Q, drum R, having groove S, and the cams or rollers S S, of the distributer V, blades V, mixer X, central shafts workingin said mixer and distributor, and gear wheels W W, substantially as described.

17. The combination, with the rotary moldwheel,upper and lower beams yoked together by cheek-pieces M M, and plungers J K, pivoted to the upper beams, of the guide-piece X, fixed tothe main frame, the lower portion thereof forming the axis of the mold-wheel, substantially as described.

18. The combination of the rotary n1oldwheel Q, upper and lower beams, I l, L L, pivoted plungers J, K, and N, cross-head H, connectin g-rods F F, cran k-disks E E, shafts D D, gear-wheels (J U, pinion B, and main driving-shaft A, substantially as described.

19. The combination of the beams I I, L L, cheek'pieces M M, plungers J K N, moldwheel Q, plate or disk Q, cams 0r rollers S tributer, gear-wheels W W, and gear G, sub- S, drum R, having cam-groove S, shafts D stantially as described.

D, gear-wheels O O, pinion B, and main 1 driving-shaft A, substantially as described. (IUSTAVE (JOUFFINHAL' 20. The combination of rotary mold-wheel Witnesses:

Q, plate or disk Q, distributer V, blades V, NIMRE BEAUX,

mixer X, central shafts to the mixer or dis- LEON BATAULT. 

